June 2012 | Essential You Yoga

Hormigas

The word of the day is ants.

Ants biting your toes when you’re barefoot in the kitchen. Large wood ants walking industriously by with their very large bits of leaves or feathers or wood. Ants swarming the purple-frosted cupcakes I bought for my friend to welcome her to town. Ants crawling on my arm as I try in vain to practice yoga at home. Ants following me when I leave my home, each itch I feel invariably being a small black ant inching its slow way across my shoulder, neck, back.

Rainy season is in full force here in Granada, as well it should be. It comes with many benefits. Continue reading “Hormigas”

Splish Splash

What a whirlwind weekend!

Saturday afternoon, my sister and I set off for la pescina. A day at the pool seemed like a grand idea, as it was hot and humid and not even noon yet. In order to get to the pool, it’s necessary to walk down La Calzada. La Calzada is the main street where people congregate. It’s lined with bars, restaurants, tour groups, and shops. All of the restaurants have a smattering of tables in the streets in order to both take advantage of the cool breeze and promote their tasty food. This outdoor seating makes for a social atmosphere, as tourists, locals, and street kids all congregate together. This also means that a walk down La Calzada can take anwhere from 15-30 minutes, as you run into person after familiar person.

Por ejamplo, on Friday night, my sister and I left the house to grab a couple of ice cream cones and a liter of Tona when my sister heard some voices calling my name. Continue reading “Splish Splash”

Mas Espanol, Por Favor

Tomorrow marks 2 months here in Nicaragua. Prior to leaving, my hope was that I would be fluent in Spanish at 2 months into my trip. I’ve discovered, though, that Spanish language, like anything else in life, presents the opportunity for constant learning. That is to say, there’s always more to know!

However, I am pleased with my rate of learning. I’m happy that I can understand the majority of a conversation when the speaker slows it down for me. I’ve even found that I can translate when a native Spanish speaker is speaking to an English speaker. (Again, speaking very slowly!)

Continue reading “Mas Espanol, Por Favor”

Animales en la Calle!

Granada is blessed to have animals everywhere you turn. Cats on the roof, dogs on every corner, goats, horses, and cows, all wandering the streets, negotiating traffic with buses, people in cars, on bikes, and on foot. Below is a small sampling…

The Motmot, the national bird of Nicaragua. This guy had a broken wing, and was being cared for by friends.

Hally – this dog is lucky enough to have a place to call home and regular meals and human companionship, but there are many street dogs in Nicaragua. So many, in fact, that a local artist was inspired to create a series of portraits of them which grace many restaurants, businesses, and homes in the area. Continue reading “Animales en la Calle!”